Putin-Wagner War: CS Mutua Reaches Out To Fellow Minister Over Kenyans In Russia

The target was a convoy of rebel mercenaries already more than halfway towards Moscow in a lightning advance after seizing a southern city overnight.

Marvin Chege Marvin Chege
Jun 24, 2023 - 16:52 Updated: Jun 24, 2023 - 16:55
0
Putin-Wagner War: CS Mutua Reaches Out To Fellow Minister Over Kenyans In Russia
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov was received by the President of Kenya Dr William Samoei Ruto at State House in Nairobi on Monday, May 29, 2023. /PCS

Kenya on Saturday, June 24 reached out to the European Union amidst the unfolding civil war in Russia occasioned by an armed mutiny its President, Vladimir Putin, had compared to Russia's Civil War a century ago.

Cabinet Secretary of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs Alfred Mutua called upon Kenyans living in Russia to stay calm even as Russian military helicopters opened fire on Saturday afternoon.

The target was a convoy of rebel mercenaries already more than halfway towards Moscow in a lightning advance after seizing a southern city overnight.

CS Mutua had revealed that he reached out to Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov regarding the military action and Russia's steps to restore peace.

Foreign Affairs CS Alfred Mutua speaking during a thanksgiving ceremony in Machakos County on Sunday, April 16, 2023. /WILLIAM RUTO

"I have just spoken to Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov about the current news of attacks by a mercenary group.

"He has updated me on the situation & informed me that the Russian government is in control & “everything will be fine". I have told him of our concern and wish," he stated on Twitter.

Fighters from Yevgeny Prigozhin's private Wagner militia were in control of Rostov-on-Don, a city of more than a million people close to the border with Ukraine, and were rapidly advancing northwards through western Russia.

A report by Reuters revealed that one of its journalists saw army helicopters open fire at an armed Wagner column that was advancing past the city of Voronezh with troop carriers and at least one tank on a flatbed truck. The city is more than halfway along the 1,100-km highway from Rostov to Moscow.

Prigozhin, whose private army fought the bloodiest battles in Ukraine even as he feuded for months with the top brass, said he had captured the headquarters of Russia's Southern Military District in Rostov after leading his forces into Russia from Ukraine.

In Rostov, which serves as the main rear logistical hub for Russia's entire invasion force, residents milled about, filming on mobile phones, as Wagner fighters in armoured vehicles and battle tanks took up positions.

One tank was wedged between stucco buildings with posters advertising the circus. Another had "Siberia" daubed in red paint across the front, a clear statement of intent to sweep across the breadth of Russia.

In Moscow, there was an increased security presence on the streets. Red Square was blocked off by metal barriers.

"Excessive ambitions and vested interests have led to treason," Putin said in a televised address, comparing the insurrection at a time of war abroad to Russia's revolution and civil war unleashed during World War One.

"All those who deliberately stepped on the path of betrayal, who prepared an armed insurrection, who took the path of blackmail and terrorist methods, will suffer inevitable punishment, will answer both to the law and to our people."

A defiant Prigozhin swiftly replied that he and his men had no intention of turning themselves in.

"The president makes a deep mistake when he talks about treason. We are patriots of our motherland, we fought and are fighting for it," Prigozhin said in an audio message. 

"We don't want the country to continue to live in corruption and deceit."

In a series of hectic messages overnight, Prigozhin demanded Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and the chief of the general staff Valery Gerasimov come to see him in Rostov.

The Wagner Group had previously been accused of human rights abuses in several countries, including the Central African Republic, Syria, and Libya.

It was also believed to be closely linked to the Kremlin, with some experts opining that the Russian government used it to carry out covert operations. The Kremlin, however, denied any links to the mercenaries.

Lavrov, the Russian Foreign Minister during his previous visit to Kenya, highlighted that most Kenyans in Russia were students, and workers employed in the business, education, and health sectors who were attracted to the world's largest country by surface area owing to its better educational institutions and low cost of living.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov was received by the President of Kenya Dr William Samoei Ruto at State House in Nairobi on Monday, May 29, 2023. /PCS

Tags: